While you sleep
by Aeriel Cross
Summary: Hitsugaya's unconsious, and its all thanks to Masumoto, but what else could she do other than pray? Hitsu x Masu


Title: While you sleep

Author: Alexis Sacrifar / Aeriel cross

Pairing: Masumoto x Hitsugaya

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

A.N: O.M.G. like, I'm so sorry! My brain's been churning out weird stuff lately nowadays and I think my brain sold itself on eBay!! So, yes, I confess that I've lost my writing style again. I'm still looking for it. This is my first Masumoto and Hitsugaya stuff, so…yeah. Don't flame me if I did a bad job!!! It's my first time writing one anyway…and I got so stressed trying to find how to upload mood themes like calmingeffects'!!! HOW!!!

_He saw the arrancar reach for his lieutenant's unprotected back, lips open in a snarl, triumphant, as the woman turned, eyes wide in shock and fear, still in the disadvantaging position from where she had fallen from the last blow. There was no way she could escape, shunpo away, her injuries were too serious, he knew, her robes stained with the deep red of her blood, and Haineko too far from her reach. He had threw himself before her without thinking, had blocked off the initial blow. What he didn't expect, was a sharp searing pain to his right shoulder, the tip of a zanpakuto's blade protruding out. He half-turned, to see the traitor, Ichimaru Gin, smiling, smirking at him, and snarled in fury, the arrancar before him momentarily forgotten, till pain exploded in his belly. He choked, blood splattering upon the sandy ground, and everything tilted. He heard her scream his name, reach out for him…_

If only…

Masumoto lifted her head to glance wearily at the newcomer, and was beginning to stand up when the person raised a hand and gestured for her to remain seated.

'It's alright, Masumoto fukutaichou,' said Unohana in her gently, motherly voice as she glided in serenely, hands clasped before her, her expression as calm as the surface of a lake under a still sky, with Yamamoto sou-taichou following behind her, brows furrowed. 'Please do stay seated.'

The room was dark, the only light coming in through the solitary, open window, bare of all furnishings other than a bed, o low cabinet just below the window and a few chairs in the corner. The temperature in the room was drastically low, each breath taken coming out as puffs of white clouds, but Masumoto felt nothing as she returned her gaze to the still, small figure on the bed, eyes clouding over with worry and despair, sitting slumped in a chair next to the bed, utterly dejected as Yamamoto sou-taichou and Unohana taichou walked over to stand next to her, also watching the unconscious captain of the Tenth squad in silence.

Hitsugaya's eyes were closed, framed by frosty white long lashes, still and unmoving, his skin deathly pale, so pale it was almost the colour of white porcelain. His nose and mouth were covered by an oxygen mark, constantly supplying his body with life-saving oxygen, and an IV drip was attached to his right arm, full of clear liquid, drip-dripping down the tube into his system through the needle at a steady pace, hypnotizing. There was hardly any sign that he was alive, other than for the slight, almost unperceivable rising and falling of his chest, and for the tall, solemn machine that he was hooked up to, constantly beeping away at an irregular rate, measuring whatever it was supposed to measure, a graph on the screen climbing and falling irregularly, always below a certain level. Occasionally, Masumoto would glance at it nervously, waiting for the time when the graph would exceed that certain level, for Unohana taichou had said that only when it did would Hitsugaya be finally out of his critical condition. Every time the graph dropped too low, her heart would skip a beat, thudding painfully in her chest, and she was afraid, so afraid for the time when it would reach a point where it meant that Hitsugaya taichou was never going to open his eyes again. At present, Unohana taichou was speaking.

'…been in critical condition ever since. I'm afraid that he might not wake.' Masumoto's heart clenched tightly and she bit her lips, trembling. 'Is the situation very bad, Yamamoto sou-taichou?'

'No exactly 'bad'. The whole of the tenth division has been paralyzed, and most are out of fighting condition. The eleventh and the second division are covering up their losses for them, so the situation is still in control. I am just afraid, however, that if Hitsugaya taichou does not wake up soon, his division might need…a replacement.' Yamamoto sou-taichou coughed uneasily.

'_Noo!!'_ The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it, and fury bubbled in the pit of her stomach. 'How could you – Hitsugaya taichou isn't even dead yet!! Divisions don't have replacements for captains unless they're _dead_!!' she spat, struggling against Unohana taichou who was holding her down. 'You didn't even give him a chance, ignored his request for back up, leaving out division helpless amongst the arrancars, and he was fighting so hard to keep his ground – now you blame it on him-'

'_Silence!!'_ Yamamoto sou-taichou roared, silencing Masumoto immediately. 'I understand your grief for Hitsugaya jyu-ban taichou's condition, Masumoto fukutaichou, but it certainly does not mean that I will allow any disrespectful behavior towards me or any other captains, _do you understand?'_

'Yes, Yamamoto sou-taichou…' Masumoto hissed venomously through gritted teeth, seething angrily, and yanked free from Unohana's grasp, still glaring at the tall, forbidding captain of the first division.

'I would have you locked up for a few days for such a disrespectful manner, but I shall overlook it this time, taking in your overwhelming sorrow – but there will not be a second time,' Yamamoto was still saying, before he turned to Unohana taichou. 'We will observe Hitsugaya taichou's condition for another period, before we decide. But if he really doesn't-'

'As you wish, Yamamoto sou-taichou,' Unohana taichou said respectfully, cutting into his words, but under the gentle tone was a glint of hard steel, a subtle warning. 'I will try my best.'

'I'm glad that you understand Unohana taichou…' he sighed as he turned to leave, haori billowing out behind him in his wake, but he looked suddenly weary. 'We will discuss this matter elsewhere.'

Unohana taichou let him through the door, she herself following after, but not before giving Masumoto a sympathetic smile. 'I'm sure that Yamamoto sou-taichou doesn't mean it,' she murmured, before following the said person out of the door, leaving Masumoto alone in the room with Hitsugaya. Reaching out, she hesitantly took hold of the thin, white hand lying on the covers, trembling to stop her from crying – Hitsugaya hated it when people cried, it injured his pride. And his hand was cold, so cold…

'Wake up…taichou…you heard what they said…wake up…' she half pleaded, and bowed her head over him, desperation tearing at her heart. 'Wake _up_…'

For the next few days, Masumoto stayed by Hitsugaya's side, doing nothing but praying fervently for his recovery, but when Shuuhei and Kira visited her a week later, they found the room half full of paper documents and Masumoto buried in another pile, scribbling away furiously with her brush. Apparently she had taken on Hitsugaya's job and had even moved it down to the hospital.

'Didn't Ukitake taichou offer to take up the division's paperwork?' Shuuhei was surprised.

'You should take a rest, Masumoto-san,' Kira advised, worried. 'You're killing yourself with this stuff.'

Masumoto shook her head, her brush paused in mid-air. 'No, I'm fine…' she sighed. 'As Hitsugaya's fukutaichou, it is my responsibility to take over his work now that he is…currently out of working condition. He will be happy to wake up among his own paperwork anyway.' She started scribbling again.

'_Masumoto!!'_ Shuuhei had strode up to her, knocking the brush violently away from her hand, where it fell to the floor with a loud clang, the sound loud and sudden in the awkward silence that followed. 'This is…this is…this is pointless!! I mean, you know that you're just escaping from reality…as in Hitsugaya taichou might not even wake up at all in the first place! You did hear that Yamamoto sou-taichou might replace him soon – just look at him! He fought bravely, and he did sustain a lot of wounds, and a normal shinigami would have di-'

'Shuuhei fukutaichou.' Kira cut in abruptly, cutting of Hisagi's words cleanly and shook his head slightly when Shuuhei had turned on him, fuming. 'What Masumoto fukutaichou does is none of our business. Leave her alone.'

'But-!!' He was about to protest further but the look Kira gave him was icy cold murder.

'Can't I…have the right to grief…?' Masumoto said in a shaky voice, turning to look at them. 'Yes, I know he's not gonna wake up soon, yes, Yamamoto will replace him soon, I know all that. I know I am escaping from reality…' she dug her nails into her palm, teas threatening to spill. 'But tell me, what else can I do? Nothing!!! Do you know how painful is it, not being able to do a single thing about it, just sitting here and watching him!? Do you know how much it hurts to lose your taichou!!? Kira knows, don't you, Kira? At least he left you quickly – I…I have to watch him go…' her lower lip trembled uncontrollably. 'And it's my entire fault!!' The last sentence emerged as a wail, and Masumoto buried her face in her hands, hot tears running down her cheeks to drip onto the sterile white bed sheets. It was enough – she had enough of it. It was as if it wasn't worse that Hitsugaya taichou was in a terrible condition, but others had to rub t in, just had to, as if it didn't hurt enough now.

Kira looked at his friend, then at her unconscious captain on the bed, taking in Masumoto's bloodshot eyes and her tired, haggard expression, the desperate look for hope that she held in her eyes. 'I know, Masumoto,' he sighed as he moved to grasp her shoulders. 'I'm sure Hitsugaya taichou will wake up soon enough.'

It was all lies, they knew.

But it was better than nothing.

'…sorry…' Shuuhei grunted after a long silence, looking away, abashed. 'But Hitsugaya taichou isn't that fatally injured, is he? I mean, that's what I heard.'

'There was _poison_ in the blade,' spat Masumoto bitterly, disgust showing clearly in her face. 'It got into taichou's bloodstream and Unohana taichou arrived too late to get it out in time…'

'But won't you be poisoned too, if it were on the blades?' Shuuhei murmured, trying to rule out the possibilities.

'…It was on _Ichimaru's_ zanpaktou.' Masumoto finally said, and felt Kira stiffen behind her. 'And that wasn't all – I don't know what the hell he did to taichou…he's been…the flow of reiatsu in his body was disrupted and its messing up his whole system…that's what Unohana taichou told me.'

'_That Aizen bastard!!'_' Shuuhei growled, banging his fist against the wall. 'What the hell is he planning now!!?'

Kira looked at the boiling, seething Hisagi quietly with a sinking feeling in his heart. He wanted to say something to reassure his friends, but nothing came, words falling short of him. Has Ichimaru taichou fallen so low as to even use poison on his zanpaktou? He bowed his head low, the action lying heavy upon him, as if it were he himself who had committed the act. 'Gomen…'

'Its not your fault, Kira,' Hisagi growled angrily. 'He's not your taichou anymore anyway.'

'No.'

'It must be hard on you, Kira,' Masumoto said understandingly, patting his hand.

'Its hard on all of us…' Kira answered in kind, and Shuuhei looked away. None of them had ever gotten over losing their captains so easily after all. Not when they're most trusted captain with their loyalty had betrayed them all.

The situation wasn't looking good even after a week, and Masumoto had almost given up hoping. By then, Hitsugaya was almost like a cold, marble statue. _Sleeping beauty,_ Masumoto had whispered to him when Unohana taichou had finally shook her head. _Are you never going to wake up? _Yamamoto sou-taichou had by then started scouting for a replacement, but the other captains had voted against it, including Mayuri even though he had hated the child prodigy, and Masumoto was grateful for that.

Every day, after completing all her duties as a vice captain and making sure that her division was properly sorted out and organized, she would return to Hitsugaya's bedside for paperwork. It killed her, all the work, but she never complained once about it. It reminded her, every singly time without fail, of Hitsugaya taichou. And the office…she could hardly bear to set foot into that neat room anymore. Everywhere she looked, she could see her captain's shadow – Hitsugaya browsing through the books for reference, frowning in concentration, or him shouting at her at the top of his voice in the bathroom when he found out about her hoard of sake, but he wasn't there now. She hated seeing him so weak and frail, so unlike his confident and strong self she was so used to seeing. Sometimes she even felt as it the person lying on the bed wasn't even Hitsugaya taichou at all.

Time flew by – two weeks, a month…the pain had subsided, but the sorrow was still there. He was officially declared out of critical condition by then, to everyone's relief, but he never woke, never stirred. Masumoto tended for him, day and night, and feeding him the day's report including gossips that were flying around Sereitei at the moment, believing that perhaps one day, one day he will wake.

_Taichou, you know, Shunsui taichou lost a bet and had to run around Sereitei in a woman's kimono, taichou!!_

_Today Yamamoto sou-taichou fell asleep during the meeting today this morning, taichou…_

_You know Yachiru fukutaichou…_

_Remember Yoruichi, taichou…_

_Taichou…_

_I miss you._

'I'll willingly slave my life for you, taichou, if you ever wake up…' she was murmuring to him on a cold, silent night, stroking his face lightly, tracing his features. 'I'll do all the paperwork and everything that you tell me to…so when are you going to wake up – Toushirou?' she gazed upon the still face of icy perfection and sighed, before hesitantly bent down and kissed his forehead ( she didn't dare kiss his lips for fear of being murdered ). 'If only you can wake up so I can tell you…' Lying her head on his flat, cold stomach, she was about to drift off to sleep when a voice spoke. A very familiar, cold and commanding voice.

'Tell me what? And are you trying to suffocate me, Masumoto…' There was a hoarse cough. 'And you're lying right on my wounds, if you're not aware of-ARGH!!!! ' He yelled as Masumoto cut off his words by launching herself at him, sobbing outright and repeating his name over and over again. He was about to call her off, but he had stopped, a soft smile touching his lips.

'Typical, Masumoto…how long have I been unconscious for…?' He coughed again, his voice hoarse from disuse.

'I thought you will never wake up again!!' sobbed Masumoto, tears wetting Hitsugaya's front.

'Yeah yeah…not when you just exchanged me for paperwork…?' Hitsugaya smirked. 'You've got lots to do later…'

'NOOO TAICHOU YOU'RE SO MEAN!!!' Masumoto laughed, and threw herself at him again, knocking out a painful cry from him. 'HOW COULD YOU!!!'

'No get off me-ARGH HELL NO GET OFF ME –'

That night, the fourth division were woken up with a horrible surprise and had came running, and no one slept at all that night. But no one really minded, not even when Masumoto started a sake party all on her own for the very first time in weeks.

After all, it had been a very, very long time, and winter was finally over.

A.N: Sorry, was writing this half asleep. Hope it didn't come out as crappy as it thought it was…yare yare…sigh. Where do you people get such wonderful avatars from anyway? I can't find any.


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